Large Hadron Collider scientists receiving death threats

Posted September 5, 2008 - 17:17
by
Humphrey Cheung

Geneva (Switzerland) – The Large Hadron Collider is just a few days from being switched on, but the scientists in charge of the 17-mile long super collider are already getting impassioned pleas to stop their work, some of the scientists have even received death threats. According to a Telegraph UK article, CERN, the organization that is in charge of the LHC, has been inundated with emails and calls from concerned citizens, part-time scientists and others. James Gillies, CERN’s public relations spokesperson, says many of the people want to delay or stop next week’s test, but there’s no chance of that happening.

On September 10th, scientists at the LHC will fire the first proton beams down the super collider. These proton beams will have a modest 450 GeV or less than one-tenth of the collider’s full strength. No collisions are expected because the beams will only be fired one way through the tunnel. Eventually CERN hopes the LHC help scientists discover the elusive Higgs-Boson particle by smashing together proton beams with 5-7 TeV worth of energy.

Some scientists have theorized that such collisions could cause a miniature black hole to form and obliterate our planet, but such collisions in the form of cosmic rays have been occurring on Earth and other planets for a long time. In fact these collisions pack much more of a punch than anything the LHC can produce. However, this hasn’t stopped people from trying to stop the project.

MIT professor and Nobel Prize winning physicist Frank Wilczek is just one of the scientists who has received death threats in the past days, according to the Telegraph UK.

But for anyone who’s thinks the LHC will end the world, Professor Brian Cox of Manchester University said, “Anyone who thinks the LHC will destroy the world is a t***.” Hey wasn’t he supposed to use a more scientific word?Read more … Telegraph UK